RSS

Monthly Archives: May 2012

Things That Motivate Me

29 May

You’d think that being healthier, a longer life expectancy, a better quality of life, and more clothes choices(cheaper, too! )would be enough to get you going. And keep you going. Those wonderful things should be enough to sustain your motivation and determination on this journey. Surprisingly I’ve found that’s not always the case.

In fact, I’m not motivated as much by those things. I’m more motivated by what I don’t want than what I do want.

Sounds crazy doesn’t it? It almost is. But think about it. I’m more motivated by the thought a heart attack than I am by having a six-pack. I’m more motivated by the idea of sleep apnea than I am of having the body I see on the cover of Men’s Health magazine. I more motivated by hypertension, high cholesterol, knee replacement surgery at 40, arthritis…. you get the point.

Here’s the thing. For me, those were very real possibilities. So on the days where I don’t feel like it or the days when wearing a size 36 pair of pants isn’t making me run to the gym or making me eat right, I quickly reminded myself of the things I don’t want. Suddenly I find myself motivated.

Sometimes a healthy dose of fear can be a good thing.

 
8 Comments

Posted by on 05/29/2012 in Inspirational

 

Progress in Pictures

17 May

I put together a few pictures documenting my progress. It was a good reminder of how far I’ve come and where I’m headed.

It’s a kind of a big deal because I gotten to a point where I absolutely detested the camera! Now I’ve taken more pictures in the last 3 months than I have in a very very long time.

I’ll be adding more as I reach more milestones. Just click the picture below.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 05/17/2012 in Uncategorized

 

Don’t Let Guilt Stop You

14 May

Holidays are great. Times filled with family, laughter, fun, EATING! It’s also a time when weight loss momentum slows, or worse stops completely. A few plates of not so healthy foods can send you spiraling downward emotionally. If you’re dieting, that can destroy (admittedly destroy is a harsh word but you get the point) you. So what do you do? How do you handle those few fleeting moments of indulgence, perhaps over indulgence?

I’ve faced that moment plenty of times. I tell you the worse part isn’t the food. Oh no… It’s the guilt that comes with it. Guilt is a cruel and unrelenting monster. It can crush your spirits. Make you fearful to “get back on the wagon.”

Remember what you’re doing isn’t dieting. Diets are temporary. We’re creating healthy lifestyles. Part of that is learning how to deal with not so healthy choices. Learning how to balance nutrition and exercise.

Keep it in perspective. Yes eating healthier would’ve been better. Or at least having smaller portions. In the grand scheme of your healthy lifestyle, that second piece of cake or sodium laden food was only one or two (hopefully no more than two) meals that weren’t the greatest this past week. If you’re eating 4 to 5 meals a day, then the holiday meal was 1 – 2 meals out of 28 to 35 meals for the week. It’s not the end! Just a minor setback. Stop beating yourself up!

Don’t allow guilt to stop you from moving forward. The meal is done. It’s in the past. All you can do is resolve to make some great choices going forward. Remember we’re not dieting we’re creating healthy habits!!

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 05/14/2012 in Inspirational, Weight Loss

 

What Has Helped Me The Most

08 May

I received an e-mail today. I decided to share the e-mail (well a portion of it) and my response. Who knew somebody would actually use the contact me page on my blog!!

Antuan,
Thank you for sharing your journey. It’s very inspiring. I have a question. What has helped you the most in losing weight? I’m not having the success you are. I thought I’d be further along by now. But I’m not. I don’t want to quit but to be honest I’ve fallen off the horse.

Below is my response.

Thanks for writing me! I feel humbled and honored that you would do that. First and foremoest, you will experience success if you don’t quit. It’s inevitable. I’ll give you three things that have helped me the most.

  • I wanted to lose weight. I mean really really wanted to. Not kinda wanted to. But almost obession level wanted to.
  • I had to be open to change. By that I mean I had to be willing to change my lifestyle enough to see results. How much change? I don’t have a specific number or amount. I just know I had to be willing to change enough to see results.
  • I had to believe that I could do it. If you don’t believe you can, you won’t.

There are more. However if you have those three things, you’ll figure out everything else along the way. I’d suggest breaking down your overall goal into smaller goals. Instead of trying to lose x number of lbs, focus on losing 5-10 lbs by the end of the month. See the difference? Break it down into managable, smaller sized things. Once you lose the 5 – 10 lbs, go for 20 lbs in the next 90 days.

Before you know it, you’ll have momentum, you’ll have a sense of accomplishment because you reached a couple smaller goals. One last thing. I found that most of the things needed to be successful were just outside my comfort zone. My point is, you’ll have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Does that help?. Best of wishes on your journey. It’s uncomfortable, it’s bumpy, sometimes inconvenient but definitely worth it. Can’t wait to hear about your success!

Antuan

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on 05/08/2012 in Weight Loss

 

Victory Loves Preparation

03 May

I had a break in my work week yesterday and normally that is cause for concern. I have to be extra careful food choice wise. There’s something about the work week routine that helps me make great food decisions. Anyway, I was reminded how important planning & preparation is.

Here I was completely out of my normal routine. In the past, that would have made making wrong decisions easier. (Well making a wrong decision is just as easy as making a good one. But that’s a different blog) But not this time. I prepared ahead of time. I plan my meals ahead of time for the work week. So instead of having to exhaust mental energy on what to eat yesterday – Good choice?…bad choice? -, I simply ate what I prepared earlier. That removed any excuses, any temptations to make a bad decision.

What did I learn from all that? What thought was I reminded of? Victory loves preparation. My brother says that all the time. It’s so true. Victory, success (in weight loss or anything else) doesn’t just happen. You have to prepare for it. You have to plan for it. If not, surprises (like yesterday’s departure from my normal routine) can set you back.

Preparation isn’t just planning and cooking meals in advance. Preparation is packing your gym clothes and putting them in your car night before. Preparation is looking at the menu and deciding the best choice prior to getting to that restaurant. It may appear small and trivial but preparation goes a long way to ensure success.

Remember the will to win is not nearly as important as the will to prepare to win. (Not my quote but I absolutely love it)

 
2 Comments

Posted by on 05/03/2012 in Exercise, Fitness, Health & Wellness, Healthy, Inspirational, Nutrition, Weight Loss

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

 
%d bloggers like this: